The Ballarat Showgrounds (officially Ballarat Showgrounds and Recreation Reserve) is a multi-purpose venue in

Wendouree Wendouree () is a large suburb on the north western rural-urban fringe of the city of Ballarat, in Victoria, Australia. It is the second most populated suburb in the City of Ballarat with a total of 10,376 inhabitants at the . It is named af ...

, a suburb of

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vi ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, owned by the

City of Ballarat The City of Ballarat is a local government area in the west of the state of Victoria, Australia. It covers an area of and, in June 2018, had a population of 107,325. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is primarily urban with the va ...

and since 1934, the home of the

Ballarat Show The Ballarat Show is an annual event held at the Ballarat Showgrounds run by the Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society. Established in 1887, the Ballarat Show is principally an agricultural event which focuses on the primary industries of ...

and

agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which breeding stock is exhibit ...

(an official public holiday in Ballarat). The focus of the Ballarat Show is the display of rural industry, including

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to ani ...

and

produce Produce is a generalized term for many farm-produced crops, including fruits and vegetables ( grains, oats, etc. are also sometimes considered ''produce''). More specifically, the term ''produce'' often implies that the products are fres ...

, with associated competitions and awards. The show also features

amusement ride Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

s, a

sideshow alley {{Unreferenced, date=June 2008 A sideshow alley is an Australian term for the cluster of attractions that may accompany public events such as agricultural shows. It is similar to the American term ' midway'. Australian sideshows typically compris ...

and

showbag A showbag is a themed bag of commercial products, novelty items and promotional merchandise, usually made available for purchase. It is a distinctive feature of Australian agricultural shows (the Australian equivalent of state fairs or travellin ...

s, which are carry-bags full of novelties and sweet-treats produced by various commercial enterprises. The facilities are used all year round for Trash and Treasure market (since 1979) as well as occasional collectors markets, show and shine displays and other events. In 2013-2014, the City of Ballarat initially proposed to redevelop the showgrounds, and in 2015 the council and agricultural society further proposed relocation of the showgrounds to Victoria Park in Newington. During the state election of 2014, the Andrews Government committed $5.5 million (AUD) toward the development of the showgrounds. In 2017 the Agricultural Society in consultation with the Ballarat Council agreed that the existing showgrounds would be redeveloped and proceeds from the sale of the existing land coupled with monies committed from the state government would be used to develop a newer and larger facility at a greenfield site 3 km north of the existing site by 2022. Beggs avenue ballarat showgrounds from ferris wheel during ballarat show

Beggs avenue ballarat showgrounds from ferris wheel during ballarat show

Site

The site includes

Eureka Stadium Eureka Stadium, known commercially as Mars Stadium, is an oval shaped sports stadium located in the Eureka Sports Precinct of Wendouree, north of the CBD of the city of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. History The first permanent oval used by t ...

, which hosts

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

and a number of other display areas and enclosed pavilions. There are a number of sealed roads servicing the site which are used as pedestrian thoroughfares during the show. The main entrance is located at the corner of Creswick Road and Howitt Streets. The main thoroughfare is Beggs Avenue which runs diagonally across the site and feeds into Bolte Place and most of the animal displays. On the northern flank of Beggs Avenue is where the majority of sideshow rides are normally placed. Whykes Street is the other main road and feeds along the southern border of the site. This roadway contains the Howitt Street Pavilion which is used as a permanent market stall shed throughout the year and is used during the show partly for the sideshow alley and to house static displays. There are a number of large permanent pavilions built throughout the grounds which house merchandise stalls, show animals, static, craft and machinery displays.

History

The Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society was formed in 1856 and based in Learmonth. The first agricultural show in Ballarat city was held in 1859. In 1861 the society's showgrounds site was relocated to

Lake Wendouree Lake Wendouree () is an artificially created and maintained shallow urban lake located adjacent to the suburb of the same name in the city of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The name Wendouree comes from a local Aboriginal word ''wendaaree'' ...

on the North East flank of the lake in an area bounded by Wendouree Parade, Burnbank and Gregory Streets. In 1934 the present site was chosen at the corner of Howitt Street and Creswick Road, Wendouree with all annual shows being held at this location ever since. Following World War 2, a number of surplus 'P huts' and buildings were relocated from the former Ballarat RAAF Base's Wireless and Air Gunnery School for use as administration buildings and pavilions. Many of those buildings remain in use today. In 1951 a , sand-based harness-racing arena was built that featured two large light towers and overhead lighting gantries. The arena became the home of th
Ballarat and District Trotting Club
(the oldest harness racing club in Australia) and regularly hosted meetings between 14 April 1952 to December 1965. Th
Ballarat and District Trotting Club
subsequently and permanently relocated to a new purpose-built harness racing complex (Bray Raceway) in the Ballarat suburb of Redan in February 1966. The showgrounds trotting arena subsequently deteriorated and was finally dismantled in 1990, being replaced by the

(now commercially known as Mars Stadium) and the North Ballarat Sports Club. A smaller grassed animal parade and display area was established between the new stadium and the existing showgrounds pavilions.

References

External links

{{Coord, 37, 32, 25, S, 143, 50, 53, E, display=title, type:landmark_region:AU Buildings and structures in Ballarat Tourist attractions in Ballarat Ballarat Tourist attractions in Victoria (Australia) Showgrounds in Australia

Site

History

See also

References

External links